Source A In 2005, Ben Fogle and James Cracknell set off together in a seven week race across the
Atlantic Ocean in a rowing boat called "Spirit. In their book The Crossing. Ben describes what
happened one night as he rowed and James slept.
BEN:
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It was still dark. We had at least three hours of darkness to go before daybreak and, as
always, I had the sunrise shift. The ocean had continued to build with an ever-increasing
wind that was gusting at 40 knots. The swell had grown and conditions were becoming
Increasingly frenzied. I began to feel vulnerable again, if we can just make it to daybreak,
thought it will be easier to read the waves and prepare for the breakers
Our boat was brand spanking new and bought straight
from the race organisers. It had coped with the seat we
had experienced thus far Incredibly well. rowed on.
womed by the deteriorating weather and I thought of
my wife, back at home. I longed to be with her and away
from this intimidating ocean.
As i rowed, a barely
perceptible blue hue appeared on the skyline
THE CROSSING
The swell was gathering and the breaking waves were
becoming more frequent. Come on, sun ſi thought,
willing the day to break. Something wasn't right
I watched as a vast Wave gathered behind the boat, Goanng above the cabin a wall of white
water towering over our tiny boat. Once again i aug the oars in to propel us forward, but the
wave was too big. For a moment I felt like we were moving backwards as we were sucked
into the bely or the wave, the horizon disappearing as the churning turf enveloped the stern
of the boat. I felt lift as a torrent of water crashed over the boat and felt myself taling
backwards. I was aware of the boat colapsing on top of me struggled to pull my feet from
the stirrups to no avall. The world went back. I felt a weight on top of me and then a ruth of
cold water as my body was brutally submerged into the bottomless Atlantic Ocean. My feet
were sucked from my shoes as loung on to the cars for dear life, but then they too were
dragged from my clasp. My mind went blank asi tumbled through the surf, spun around
roughly like clothes in a washing machine
I was somewhere underwater but which way was up? Everything was manight black
panloked as grabbed the water det verste for something to clutch on to. There was
nothing. No boat just inky cold water
I had been underwater for a seeming eternity and had started to panic. It ret as though my
unge were collapsing and struggled to find which way to swim feit my hand break the
surface sa my body burst from the depth of the ocean 333333ah gasped as my body
Eoreamed for all
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James ones. There was no sign of him nor the boat was in the middle of the ocean
without life jacket, being tose around in the surflike a ragdoll Epun around in the
water gripped by panid
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